Tulisa Contostavlos regrets losing her virginity at the age of 14

The 24-year-old singer says she has slept with less than 20 people, most of those occurring between the ages of 14 and 17, but acknowledges that she was too young to be having sex back then and wishes she had waited until she was older.

In an extract from her autobiography `Honest`, serialised in The Sun newspaper, she said: "I had too many boys too soon. I regret losing my innocence so early.

"I can still count on my fingers and toes the number of guys I`ve slept with.

"A good percentage of those encounters happened between the ages of 14 and 17 and that felt like a lot, even at the time.

"Despite my street-girl persona, I was totally into the idea of fairytale romance.

"I wore my heart on my sleeve and I was ready to give my all if I thought I was going to get love in return.

"Of course, it wasn`t the right way to go about things, because any attention and affection I got from those men was usually only temporary, but it took me a while to learn that lesson."

Tulisa also credited music, specifically forming the group N-Dubz with her cousin Dappy and ex-boyfriend Fazer, with saving her from a tough life.

She said: "If I hadn`t been saved by music, I`d most likely be living with a drug dealer on a rough council estate."